Kail-joint



1. WARD. RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED NAYl6rl9l9.

Patented Dec. 2,1919.

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RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED mAYus. 1919.

' Patented Dec. 2,1919.

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MW, 2945M lwueutoz tain new and'useful JOSEPH WARD, or EAST HUNTINGTON, WEST VIRGINIA.

. 1 V RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 16, 1919. Serial No. 297,507.

To all whom it may concern: 'Be it known that I, JOSEPH VARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Huntington, in the county of Cabell and State of Vest Virginia, have invented cer- Improvements in Rail- Joints; and I do hereby declare the following to be'a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to rail joints, and aims to provide the meeting ends of the rail sections with novel and improved, yet simple and effective means arranged to interfit so as to hold therail sections in prevent transverse displace alinement and inent thereof relatively toone another, thereby maintaining the rail sections in alinement without the necessity for using fish plates or the like. 7

With the foregoing and other objects in View, which will be'apparent as the descriptionproceeds, the invention resides in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described 7 and claimed, it being understood that changes can'be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from thespirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the'accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevationof one formof joint, a portion being broken away.

Fig. 2 is an end view of one rail section.

Fig. 8 is 'a plan view showing the rail sections separated. r

Fig. 4 is a side elevation ofanother form of joint, portions being broken away- Fig. 5 is a plan view of the joint shown in Fig. 4 with the rail sections separated.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4 illustrating a further modification.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a stillfurther modified form of joint, portion being broken away.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the joint shown in Fig. 7, with the rail sections separated;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the further variation including a short rail section between the main rail sections, portions being broken away.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the joint shown in Fig. 9, portions being broken away and 7 shown in section.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the rail sections are de ignated .1, and 2, nd they are as will enable others head 5 of usual cross section, the respective bases 3 and 6, webs 4 and 7, and heads 5 and 8. The bases, webs and heads of the two rail sections are in abutment and are formed to interfit in a man ner to prevent relative transverse displacement. Thus, the ends of the base 6, web 7 and head 8 of the rail section'2 are flush in a vertical plane, while the end of the web 4 of the rail section 1 terminates short of the base 3 and head 5 of said rail section, providing for the engagement of portions of the base 6 and head 8 in the base 8 and being provided with point offset longitudinally from the point where the bases and heads of the rail sections abut. The end portion of the head 8 is reduced inwidth, being cut away at both sides, to provide a tapered tongue 9 above the web 7, and the opposite flanges or side portions of the base are cut away, leaving the end portion of the base 6 of reduced width-and of dovetail shape, as at 10, said portion 10 being at the lower edge of the web 7. The web 4 is cutaway from between the ends of the base 3 and head 5, and the head 5 has a tapered longitudinal recess 11 extending from the end thereof with its inner or closed end flush with or in the vertical plane ofthe end of the web 4. The base 3 is provided with a dovetailed recess 12 extending from the end thereof longitudinally to a point coextensive with the recess 11, the inner or closed end of the recess 12 also being flush with or in the vertical planeof the end of the web 4. The recesses 11 and 12 are of a size to snugly or portions'9 and 10. Thus, by raising the base 6 slightly higher than'the base 3 and moving the rail sections longitudinally against one another into abutment, the web 7 and tongue 9'can move into the recess 11 with the tongue 10 above the recess 12. Then, by letting the rail section 2'move downwardly, the tongue 9 will come to rest snugly in the recess 11, while the tongue 10 will interlock within the recess 12, withthe ends of the base 3 and abutting the shoulders at the ends of the base 6 and head 8 at a point ofiset longitudinally from the point where the webs 4 and 7 abut. The rail sections are thus en gaged to hold them in alinement and prevent relative transverse displacement of the meeting ends, and the tongue 10 and recess 12 will also prevent the separation of the receive the tongues Patented Dec. 2, ieie.

ends of the rail sections are readily formed as described and illustrated, by cutting out the side portions of the rail section 2 from top to bottom at the end thereof, and cutting out-the endportion of the 'web at and the recesses in the ends of the base 3 and I head 5 from top to bottom. The cutting away of the web 4; provides for the convenient cutting of the recesses 11 and 12.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, wherein a second form of the invention is depicted, the tongues or reduced portions 9 and 10 of the head 8 and base 6 are of the same Width or thickness as the web 7 and are flush with the sides of the web, but project slightly beyond the end of the web which is cut away, as well as the end of the web 4:, so that the two Webs abut between the abutting portions of the bases and heads. The recesses 11 and 12 in the head 5 and base 3are likewise .of the width or thickness of the web a and extend longitudinally beyond the end of the web. These rail sections can be moved together longitudinally into abutment, and will be held in alinement, the tongues in fitting in the recesses preventing relative transverse displacement of the rail sections, and the tongues in extending above andbelow the end of the web 4: also preventing vertical displacement between the rail sections.

Fig. 6 shows the end of the web 7 flush with the ends of the tongues9 and 10", and the end of the web 4 flush with the closed ends of the recesses 11 and 12 and the end of the web 7 is provided with an extension 13 fitting within a recess 14 provided in the end portion of the web 1, thereby preventing relative vertical'displacement of the rail sections.

As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the tongues 9 and 10 are both of dove-tailed form, and the recesses 11 and 12 are of similar shape,

like the tongue 10 and recess 12 shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3..

In Figs. 9 and 10, a short rail'section 1 is disposedbetween the rail sections 2, and has the base 3 the web 1 of the section 1 The ends of the webs 1 and base 3? have" vertical recesses or slots 12 receiving the,

ends of the webs 7 and the tongues 10 7 Havingthus described the invention, what is claimed as new. is

1. Abutting rail sections each having a base, web and head, one rail section having the end portion of its web cut away and having: recesses in the end portion ofits baseand'head extendingfr'orn top to'jbottom' thereof, the other rail section having the side portions of the baseand web cutaway from top to bottom to provide tongues to enter said recesses. r

2. Abutting-J rail sections each including a base, web and head, one rail-section having the end portion of its web cut away and recesses in theend portionsof its base and head from top to bottom thereof-of about the same' width and inthe vertical plane of the web, the other'rail section having the side portions ofits base-and-headcut away from top to bottom to. provide tongues at the upper and lower edges of the corre-- spondingwebof about the samewidth as the web to enter. said recesses.

In testimony whereof I have signed my; name to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing:witnesses.

, Josnrn WARD.

Witnesses GRACE FLORA} E. .WELDSL' 

